


Family

by ganymedejam



Series: 31 Days of Bloodhound [5]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: 31 Days of Apex (Apex Legends), Fluff, Gen, Other, found family trope, gender neutral reader, implied Japanese descent reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27608777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ganymedejam/pseuds/ganymedejam
Summary: Day 5: Family.You invite Bloodhound over to make a traditional winter time hotpot dish. Meanwhile, they're wrestling with some odd feelings the whole time, realizing how closer you both have started to get.
Relationships: Bloodhound (Apex Legends) & Reader, Bloodhound (Apex Legends)/Reader
Series: 31 Days of Bloodhound [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815970
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Whew... so like.. 31 Days of Apex happened so long ago and I had no motivation to finish it LOL
> 
> I'm not satisfied with this one but I just wanted to post it since I can't think of a way to make it... different. I'm mixed descent and sukiyaki is a very important dish to me, so this is a shameless self-insert in that regard. I might make another version of "Family" with Bloodhound and Loba if the mood strikes.

Bloodhound didn’t think they would be celebrating the winter season break doing  _ this _ : hovering behind you like a curious child while you picked out ingredients for your favorite hotpot dish.

“I’m sorry. I forgot. What are we making again?” they whispered as they watched you examine a bundle of tiny, stringy-looking mushrooms. You have to strain your ears to hear the muffled sound of their voice beneath the thick scarf wrapped around Bloodhound’s neck which covered their face below their eyes.

“ _ Sukiyaki _ .” you reply, dropping the bundle in the basket hooked on Bloodhound’s arm. They tilted their head at your selection, and you smiled, “They’re enoki mushrooms. Very nice for hot dishes.” Bloodhound hummed at you to signal their understanding. They couldn’t help but seem to be glued at your side. It was unnerving for them to be in such a crowded place, despite their street clothes leaving pretty much zero chance for Bloodhound to be recognized. And for that, you tried to find everything as quickly as possible. They notice; the smallest of gestures like these are somehow the most precious. 

  
  


A thought forms in their mind--something on the tip of their tongue--but they can’t match a word to it. Something familiar. Whatever Bloodhound is thinking about is pushed aside as they hear the thump of an umbrella opening the moment you both step out onto the rainy street outside the store. You held the umbrella up over both of your heads, placing your free hand on their right bicep to gently guide them in the desired direction. “You’re holding the bags so I’ll hold the umbrella for you, yeah?” you tell them as you both set off down the street. 

You huddle close next to them, close enough that your shoulder keeps brushing against their arm during your stride. You keep apologizing quietly for it. They pay you no mind, though; the umbrella is small, which means that personal space is bound to be invaded. Little touches like this used to bother them, but Bloodhound has gotten so used to working with you over three seasons that the tension is gone. Neither of you say much during the five block walk back to your apartment. Both of you rather enjoyed listening to the pitter-patter of rainfall instead.

The thought in their head again.  _ The warm joy of knowing someone assuredly is there. Do you remember what that’s like? _

‘What are you getting at?’ Bloodhound thinks to theirself. They shake the thought off, much in the same fashion that they shake off the droplets of rain dotting their coat before they step inside your apartment. They pull their scarf off and tucked it carefully in their coat pocket, and set their goggles down on the table next to the door. When they lift their head, they catch you staring at them with a soft expression. You look away quickly, stammering “It’s just nice to see you like this again.” as you shuffle down the hallway. An odd prickly feeling coils in their chest, and they follow you.

Once you both have gotten settled in the apartment and have donned aprons, it’s time to cook. Bloodhound hovers behind you while you prepare the sauce. Sugar, soy sauce, mirin, sake--what do these things mixed together taste like?

They watched you diligently while you demonstrated the cuts on the various ingredients that you needed prepared, and set to work on chopping while you attended to the more difficult ingredients. A smile curled on their lips as you gave your approval--each ingredient cut exactly as you showed Bloodhound how. “Perfect!” you told them, nudging their arm with your elbow, “As if anybody would doubt your knife skills.” You motioned for them to sit at the table while you prepared the rest of the dish.

Bloodhound gave the shirataki noodles a sidelong glance as you nestled a bunch between the tofu and the mushrooms; the odd milky color didn’t look appetizing at all. Next came the meat---oh, the  _ meat _ \-- that thinly sliced beef with the amazing fat marbling would have been perfectly fine being lightly grilled on its own. Their mouth watered watching you tuck each slice into the shallow pot with everything else. Bloodhound sat and waited with their face cradled in their cupped hands in a child-like manner, their right leg wiggling impatiently under the table while they watched the food cook. 

You switched the electric pot down to low heat once you were sure the food was finished cooking. Bloodhound watched as you gathered a sampling of each ingredient into a bowl along with some of the sauce and placed it carefully in front of them. A smaller bowl of white rice and a dipping bowl with a beaten egg accompanied it. “For the meat,” you say with a smile, as if you were reading Bloodhound’s thoughts as they eyed the raw egg.

Bloodhound picked up their fork and hovered it over their bowl, not sure which item to eat first. They looked up at you with a questioning expression, and you couldn’t help but chuckle. “Eat whichever you want to eat first!”

“I don’t know..”

“The meat? You love that.”

“I.. want to save that for last. That’s the best part.”

You waved your hand at them. “I bought enough meat that you can have your fill of it. Go!” Bloodhound paused in thought for a moment, then replied, “Show me how you eat it.” You raised an eyebrow at them then nodded slowly in agreement. You picked up some of the shirataki; Bloodhound did the same, and hesitantly brought the noodles up to their open mouth. They didn’t know what to expect from the taste, but it was surprisingly pleasant. Springy, but not tough. Sweet and savory from absorbing the sauce; an odd combination of flavor that didn’t belong to one category.

Bloodhound rotated through sampling the rest of it and finding themself perfectly content with the dish. They did save the meat for last, which they ate by itself for the first couple of pieces. That same sweet-savory flavor from the sauce burst on their tongue. The subtle marbling of fat mingling in the tender meat made them close their eyes and smile warmly as they savored each bite. The third piece of meat was carefully dipped in the beaten egg, which they still wondered what the egg could really do when the meat was already seemingly perfect as it was.

Oh. Bloodhound gets it now. The heat from meat is enough to cook the egg just the slightest bit, making it firm up in a subtle richness that seems to complement the meat rather than take anything away from it.

“Weird, huh?” you say--again, as if you know what they’re thinking. “All of it seems like it shouldn’t make sense but it does. That strange but good flavor you’ve been eating?  _ Umami. _ ”

Bloodhound eyes you with a hint of mild confusion as they swirl yet another piece of meat in the egg. “What’s that?”

“Like.. another taste? A dimension in between savory and something else. That’s what I think about when I think about how mushrooms taste.”

They nod in understanding as they finished the last piece of meat. They placed their fork down on their plate, signaling that they’ve finished with the meal. “Thank you for sharing all of this with me.” Bloodhound told you with a soft smile. They watched as an embarrassed expression crept over your face. “I’m just happy you’re here. And thank you for helping. It really does mean a lot.”

You pause, and they notice there’s a look in your eyes like you’re thinking about something sad.

“Something wrong?”

You blink at the question. Once. Twice. Then a small sigh. “It’s just been a long time since I’ve shared this with someone. I used to eat it with my family, and I’ve been eating it alone during the winter for the last eight years or so.” They watch as you swallow hard and wring your hands nervously, “So.. y’know, it’s really special that you’re here sharing it with me.”

Bloodhound lifts their left hand to rub at the back of their neck, displaying their own sudden nervousness as they tried to smile through it. “I’m glad to be here.” The prickly feeling appears again and the words spill from their mouth without thinking. “I’m… very fond of you now. You’re important.”

They watch as your expression changes to something like bittersweet joy. The tiniest pout escapes your lips as you slide your hand over across the table. Palm up, open, inviting, waiting. Bloodhound lowers their own hand to place it on top of yours, and their heart skips a beat when your fingers close around it. “I’d like to have more moments like this,” you tell them quietly. They watch your thumb glide softly across the back of their hand, and they squeeze their own fingers around yours in response.

“You’re kind of already like family to me.” you continue, barely a whisper, like you had just confessed a big secret.

Bloodhound exhales slowly, tilting their head back up to look up into your eyes. “ _Family_ ,” they repeat back to you softly, their tone a certain element of relief. There it is. That’s the feeling.


End file.
